A typical door assembly of a vehicle extends between a front end and a rear end. The door assembly includes an outer panel and an inner panel. The outer panel is attached to the inner panel at the front and rear ends of the door assembly to define a door cavity there between. An intrusion beam or panel is disposed within the door cavity and extends between the front and rear ends. The intrusion beam is typically formed from steel. The intrusion beam is operative to provide energy absorption through bending resistance to the door assembly in an impact event as the outer panel is deflected toward the inner panel.